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Special BroadcastEpisode February 24, 2017

CiTR 2017 NCRA Homelessness Marathon

5:06pm - 6:35pm

These are the collected recordings for CITR 101.9FM's contribution to the 16th Annual NCRA Homelessness Marathon: this includes interviews with vendors working with Megaphone Magazine, an audio collage from the Opioid Overdose Awareness rally, and a discussion on the intersection of homelessness, housing, social exclusion, and addiction. All the recordings you are about to hear are taken from February 21st and 22nd 2017.

The purpose of the Homelessness Marathon is to move towards more equitable media, and make the microphone available. Stations across Canada broadcast from spaces accessible to those who deal with homelessness, first and foremost centring their voices.

While we broadcast from Megaphone to share the voices of its vendors, we felt that our programming efforts for the Homelessness Marathon could not ignore the opioid overdose crisis which has been devastating communities across North America, in particular the Downtown Eastside. Considering the factors which perpetuate and exacerbate homelessness: such as addiction, housing, social exclusion, and more -- along with the overdose crisis, which is most devastating for homeless communities -- we felt it was essential to also focus on the brave activism of the Downtown Eastside community, and the further necessity for action in the wake of a tremendous human rights crisis. As such we also feature an audio collage from the Day of Action Against the Overdose Crisis rally, and an interview on the intersection of addiction and homelessness.

CiTR extends its thank yous to the staff at Megaphone for hosting our broadcast, and facilitating a space for their vendors to talk on-air. Thank you to Megaphone vendors Mark Irvine, Peter Thomson, James Witwicky, Davin Butank for joining us to talk on-air, as well as Duncan Higgan, Project Manager for PHS Community Services. Thank you to the organizers from CAPUD: the Canadian Association of People Who use Drugs and VANDU, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, for organizing the Rally for Opioid Awareness on February 21st. Thank you for DURC for letting us record in their space. Thank you to organizers Oona Krieg and Justin Van Westen for talking to us about the intersections of homelessness, poverty, housing, and addiction in the wake of the overdose crisis. Thank you to volunteers Rachel Lau, Dezy Nair, Oona Krieg, and Carleigh Baker for hosting and teching the broadcast from Megaphone. Thank you to Cal Murray for sourcing sounds from the February 21st Day of Action on the Overdose Crisis rally which closed this piece. This piece was produced by Jonathan Kew, and the CiTR Programming Department. Final thank you to all the stations that participated in the 2017 NCRA Homelessness Marathon, including host station Local FM out of St. John New Brunswick.